It seems like there are a hundred blogs per second popping up on just about every topic. But what does it take to write blog posts that attract more people? How do you stand out in an endless sea of blogs?

I’ve also read a lot of writing that is so real and genuine that you can almost see the writer’s personality in the words they write. That’s good writing! Not necessarily because it’s grammatically perfect, but because it’s real.

Don’t use words or phrases you wouldn’t say. Don’t try to impress people. Being genuine is way more important. If you have a blog, it’s probably something you’re passionate about. Use that. Focus on that.

If you are more genuine in your writing, your passion about your subject will shine through and connect with your readers. You will also get more fulfillment knowing that your blog is genuine.

Put Your Blog Writing to the Test

How do you test to see if your blog post or article is your voice? Read it out loud. If it doesn’t sound like you—if it sounds odd—it’s probably not your voice. Ask yourself, “Would I talk to someone this way? Do I use these words when I talk?”

Another way to test your writing it to read it to people who know you well. See what they say. They may pick up on some things that you can’t.

Using Google Analytics to monitor your blog traffic is free, simple and generates several different reports that give you awesome insight to grow your blog or website.

I’ll show you some of the most important things I look at for my own websites.

Be sure to scroll down to the end for an on-screen training and tutorial for these reports.

Using Google Analytics WordPress Plugin

To use Google Analytics, you need to first set up a free account. There are a few options to integrate it with your blog, but if you are using WordPress as your blog editor, then I recommend using the Google Analytics plugin.

This plugin allows you to simply enter a code (Web Property ID) generated by Google Analytics so that it can link to and track activity on your blog (see the screenshot below).

Once you link Google Analytics with your blog, it will automatically begin tracking visits and activity on your site.

Google Analytics Insights to Skyrocket Your Blog Traffic

So, what info and insights should you be paying attention to the most? Let’s look at some tracking from a couple of my websites so you can see what I pay attention to the most, and how I use it to continue growing MONETIZING my blog!

That’s really it. I don’t spend a whole lot of time analyzing and researching.

I put more of my time and effort toward creating content and promoting my sites. And honestly, unless you have a really complicated site or blog, you don’t need to spend a whole lot of time checking on your analytics.

BUT (big BUT) you seriously need to use this to grow your blog.

Just make sure you’re spending a lot more time taking action than you are analyzing. Let’s look at the main benefits and importance of each one.

Google Analytics: Site Content/Pages

This is my favorite one. This is what analytics is all about. It simply shows you the most visited areas of your site.

What pages, links and blog posts are people visiting most and spending the most time on?

As you can see from the screenshot below from one of my sites, three out of the top five most visited links on my site are blog posts. The top one accounts for nearly 27 percent of all visits to my site during the selected date range.

Think blog posts aren’t powerful, hhhmmmmmm?

At the time this screenshot was taken, that top post was written about five months prior. Sometimes you just don’t know which post will get popular. But use this Google Analytics report to show you which ones people are visiting most.

That way you can go back to these areas and add some related links, links to relevant product sales, email opt-ins, etc. Basically, spend time fluffing up most popular areas of your site.

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The other important thing this tells you is how much time people are spending on these pages and posts. A short amount of time is not always a bad thing. It depends on what you want your visitors to do.

Google Analytics: Source of Acquisition

This is exactly what it sounds like. It shows you where your visitors came from.

And that’s HUUUUUGE!

Are you getting visits from Google organic search? From Facebook? Pinterest?

This tool shows you how many visits you’re getting from different sources. It will also show you how many are new or returning visors and the average time they’re spending on your site.

This Google Analytics tool can show you where you need to focus your marketing effort.

Maybe you want to improve your traffic from Facebook. Or maybe your blog and content is more of a natural fit for Pinterest. You can focus on your strengths or try to find areas you want to improve.

You can see from the screenshot below that more than 78 percent of my total traffic comes from Google organic search. That means that I’ve done a pretty good job creating targeted blog posts and other content my target market is searching for.

Google Analytics: Behavior Flow

This one is a little complicated. Honestly, I’m still trying to figure you how to maximize and implement the info I get from this tool.

Still, it’s pretty damn cool.

It basically gives you a map of where people are traveling on your site.

EXAMPLE: Someone finds your blog post on Google, and from there they go to your About page. Then from there they click on your products page.

“Through Traffic” indicates the number and percentage of visitors who clicked on another link on your site. “Drop-offs” indicates the number that left your site after visiting that specific link.

It always helps to see the journey your average visitor takes on your site. It also can be surprising.

Pay attention to this because it gives you good insight to what visitors see as the important and relevant areas of your site.

Then, you can go back to these areas and add or change things that help them get to the point you eventually want them to go. Buy from you. Contact you. Hire you. Join your email list.

Google Analytics: New vs. Returning Visitor

This is a simple report that shows the number and percentage of new visitors and returning visitors. You can find this under the Audience section of Google Analytics.

It’s not an in-depth report, but it is very interesting.

If you have a growing number of returning visitors, that’s fantastic. That’s what you want. FOLLOWERS!

You can also compare the number of page views and average time spent on your site between new and returning visitors.

This can be interesting info since returning visors (especially some that come to your site or blog often) can behave very differently than new visitors.

SO…. those are the four primary Google Analytics blog traffic reports I use. Some of these I check once a week. Others I check once a month.

Just figure out what makes sense for you. But make sure you use this info to improve your blog and bring more value to your followers.

The actual ideas are the easy part. But capturing the ideas, planning and organizing them, then promoting them is what most bloggers struggle with.

This process can be a whole lot easier (and a lot more fun) with a little structure. It’s the second day of 2017 as I write this, and I’m already wrapping up my entire year of blog post ideas. I’m already planning 52 weeks worth of popular blog topics.

So, I want to share some topic ideas and my blog post topic idea guide and checklist with you!

Cool? Cool.

Be sure to scroll down and read near the end to download the guide and checklist.

NOTE: Some of the links below include my affiliate link, and I may earn a small commission if you do decide to purchase any of these great tools. It’s absolutely no extra charge to you. These are the specific tools I have used and had great success with, and I would only recommend something I feel strongly about.

I like to keep things as simple as possible. I plan one blog topic per week because I know that’s a realistic goal for me. Plus, it gives me time to not only write the post, but (as you will see in my guide/checklist) it also gives me time to optimize the post, add links, create any related videos and resources, and plan to promote the post on social media and to my email list.

A HUGE tip is to start writing down your blog post ideas on a master list. This could be an Excel sheet or a physical tablet or board.

I like to use a dry erase white board (check the pic below of mine in progress).

This board works for me for a few reasons:

I can organize the posts by topic or color code them. I can erase/change it at any time. It’s always there on the wall by desk for quick reference. Since it see it all the time, it’s more real and a reminder that I need to stick with my plan.

Use whatever works for you. Some people like to create blog content more than once a week, and that’s fine. The key is to be consistent.

With four young kids, I’m as busy as anyone I know. The truth is, I have the exact same amount of time in my day as anyone else. And so do you.

One of the biggest excuses people give for not working their part-time business is “not enough time.” Here’s the dealio: There are 1,440 minutes in a day and 10,080 minutes in a week. If you treat your business like a real business, you will devote some consistent time to it. That’s going to be different for everyone.

For some people that might be just 30 minutes a day (which is 2 percent of the day). For others, it might be a few hours a day. “Having” the time isn’t the issue. Carving out the time is what matters. So, here are a few simple and practical ideas anyone can do to carve out time for your part-time home business.

Divide the Time You Work Your Part-Time Business

Think you need to work your part-time home business in one large block of time. Nope nope nope!

One of the best ways to avoid getting overwhelmed is to break up the time throughout your day that you devote to your business. Maybe you work 30 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes at lunch and 30 minutes at night. Maybe you do two “power hours” during the day. Whatever makes sense for you, just be consistent with it.

Consistency, and creating a habit, is the key. However you decide to break up your schedule, make sure it’s doable. It has to be reasonable. You might need to make further adjustments to make it work, but once you find a grove, lock it in!

CONSISTENCY!

You’ll be amazed at how much time you really have in a day when you make an effort to do it.

You’re on the magic interwebs now so people are just going to automatically find you, right?

Ummm, not so much. That’d be great, but that’s just not how it works.

By far the biggest issue I hear home business owners have with their website is that they just don’t know what to do with it. It’s there, but it’s just not doing anything. It’s stagnant, no one is finding it, and the few people who do find it aren’t engaging.

If this sounds like you, or if you are thinking of creating a website or blog for your business, here are some basic but critical tips for marketing your home business website to attract more leads and turn them into paying customers.

Your Website is an Extension of Your Home Business

No mater what kind of home business you have (network marketing, freelance designer/writer, personal trainer, home daycare, etc.), always remember that your website is just an extension of what you are already doing in your business. So, you don’t have to treat it like some alien technology from a different galaxy.

For example, let’s say you’re a personal trainer and you’ve been helping a new mom burn off the baby fat and strengthen her core. Write a blog post (or a series of blog posts) on different moves or workouts that are great for getting back your pre-baby body. Or write about why it’s important to keep your abs and core strong after having a baby.

Even better, shoot a short video with your phone demonstrating some of the moves. Upload that video to YouTube and then embed that video in your blog post.

The content on your website is just another way to do what you’re already doing, but reaching a lot more people. That should give you a ton of confidence in figuring out what content to create to draw people to your site.

What Problems are You Solving in Your Home Business?

If you have a home or freelance/contract business, then you have an expertise or passion to share with the world. You probably have a product or service, so, ask yourself “What problems am I solving?”

Get specific with this. Going back to our personal trainer example, you are helping people lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. While that may be true, it might not be specific enough to really connect with your target market. To get more specific, the problem you might be solving for your client is to help them burn fat fast so they look good on their summer beach vacation.

To you, that might not be the most important goal, but sometimes you have to meet your market where they are and solve those problems first. So, think about what problems you are currently solving in your business, and create more content around that. Because, I guarantee you, there are plenty of others out there with the same problem.

Do you have a blog but you hardly every post because you just don’t think you have enough good ideas?

Or maybe you are thinking about starting a blog but don’t think you will have enough content to regularly post.

This is one of the most common excuses I’ve heard when helping people set up their blog or website. I used to feel the same way until I discovered a few ridiculously simple tips to build a nearly endless and on-going list of blog topic ideas. These tips are something that you can start doing right now and I promise you, you will have a growing list of great blog post ideas TODAY!

Write Down Your Blog Ideas Immediately!

A lot of people who say they don’t have enough blog ideas actually have plenty of ideas. They just forget them.

Any time you get an idea for your blog, write it down immediately. I can’t tell you how important it is to capture your idea right when it pops in your head. As soon as I got the idea to write this blog post, I pulled out my phone and typed the idea into my Evernote app.

Evernote works great for me, and I definitely suggest your check it out. You can create different categories and tags (such as “business,” “home,” “hobbies,” etc.), and you can sync your notes on your phone with the Evernote program on your computer.

Maybe you just use the notes feature on your phone or tablet. Or maybe you use an old-school notepad. Whatever. The important thing is to get it out of your head and capture it somewhere. This way, you have a growing list of ideas and you don’t have to worry about remembering them. Before I started doing this I would forget so many ideas and it frustrated the hell out of me.

Start doing this throughout your day and see how many ideas you capture by the end of the day.

Pay Attention to the Questions People Ask

Your blog exists to provide helpful information. Use it as a tool to offer your expertise and to express your passion. It should solve problems and answer questions.

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Home Business Coaching

Do you want to take your home business to the next level? Do you want to learn how to attract and land your dream clients online? Do you want to create streams of qualified leads that find you and want to work with you?

If you answered yes to any of these, we should talk.

The contract economy is growing quickly. Technology has allowed more and more people to work remotely on a contract/1099 basis. The truth is, there are a whole lot of ways to make money from home today. And of you are reading this, you probably found a way that works fro you.

So, no matter if you are a network marketer, freelance writer, photographer or shuttle kids to and from school, I'd love to help you take your business to a higher level and help you grow as a home business owner.

Want some free home business coaching? The stop by my blog where I'm regularly adding fresh home business coaching tips. I blog about generating leads online, how to write like a pro, personal development, online branding, network marketing... heck, I even blog about blogging.

I hope you find it helpful, and please contact me to let me know what questions you have and what topics you'd like to see me write about. I truly do value your feedback.

Online Branding/Blogging

Have you been wanting to build a website or blog but just don’t know where to start? Does it seem like way too big of a task for you to tackle? Have you tried to market your business though social media but it’s just not getting anywhere? Well, here’s a little secret: it’s a whole lot easier than you think.

I’d love to talk to you about creating a professional online presence that generates leads, grows your network and, of course, makes you money! I have created some of the top-ranking websites and blogs in the industries I’ve been involved with, some of which have generated thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars a month in sales.